Blue Skies and Sunshine
by PlayerPrincessJediFANGIRL
Summary: Sugar Rush is in chaos. Vanellope's gone and their former tyrant is back, bringing catastrophe. They're alive, but barely. WIP without a regular update schedule.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I am finally back. *Grunt* And I mean finally. Exams are over- for now. Yay!**

 **So Camille DiCaramello prompted me to do a Sugar Rush unplugged fic way back when, and I have to apologize to her because she had been waiting for a whole month for this. So sorry (;}.;)**

 **And here it is, my first shot at writing about the Sugar Racers. I tried to base their personalities on canon but failed miserably. If they're to OOC, or if this simply sucks, you're welcome to criticize.**

 **Have some candy and I hope you enjoy this!**

" _Day 23_

 _Dear Vanellope,_

 _I don't think I'll last long."_

As Taffyta wrote her arm hurt and her stomach rumbled. How many days had she gone without food now? Starving, she continued to scribble:

" _I hope you're well. You're the only hope Sugar Rush has now. I'm elated that you got out of here, president. I really am. If you ever read this, please know I'm extremely ashamed of how I treated you before realizing you are, after all, our princess- our president. Please also send my gratitude to Ralph. Thank mod he sort of saved you from the storm."_

Her mind journeyed back to the day Sugar Rush lost all of its peacefulness.

* * *

" _A great day of racing, huh?" Vanellope and her fist-bumped and shared a grin. "You were quite impressive back there. Too bad I glitched in front of you."_

" _Stop smirking, pres. I_ will _overcome you someday." Taffyta threatened jokingly, unknown to what the future held._

" _Hmm,_ someday _," Vanellope grinned. "Well, I'm off to find Stinkbrain. Later!" She waved at Taffyta and Candlehead._

 _As she watched their friend skip away, Candlehead suggested, "Hey, why don't we-"_

 _Before she could even finish, a thunderous howl shattered their eardrums. "Why does that noise sound so familiar!" Taffyta yelled over the noise. Then something in her mind clicked._

 _The last time she heard this screech, it was the day Vanellope was revealed to be the princess._

 _That meant..._

" _Cy-bug!" Taffyta grabbed Candlehead, who was covering her ears, in alarm._

 _Candlehead's eyes widened. "But- aren't cy-bugs from Hero's Duty? How did they break in?"_

" _Don't ask. Come on, we gotta-"_

 _Another shriek emitted, and a monster as tall as Diet Cola Mountain emerged from the sugar-coated ground._

 _The monster had the talons and flapping wings of a cy-bug, but Taffyta could clearly make out the complexion of a person- a person they believed long dead._

" _It's King Candy! RUN!" Taffyta hissed, frightened that their former tyrant would hear them._ Thank mod, his back is facing us. _She clasped Candlehead's hand and ran for the audience stands. Lifting a banner, she gestured for Candlehead to follow her. Together they crawled under Taffyta's fan's bleachers. Checking that King Candy-_ Turbo _\- didn't notice them, the two friends continued edging their way to the village._

" _Hell-o, my loyal subjects!" Turbo laughed maniacally. (_ So his voice didn't change with the body. _Taffyta mused, still escaping._ Weird. _) "I'm back! Did you miss me?" Just then, his form flickered with red binary. Taffyta held her breath. Turbo, with his creepy yellow eyes and lame helmet had appeared instead of King Candy's face. What she thought was more bizarre was that he glitched, but his pixels were red and not blue. Taffyta knew glitches' pixels were blue after all that time bullying Vanellope (which she regretted), and red probably meant something bad. She signaled for Candlehead to crawl faster._

 _They were out of the bottom of the bleachers which meant they were exposed. Picking up speed, they dashed as fast as they could, Candlehead huffing and puffing. She'd just caught a glimpse of their former king and was probably freaking out inside._

 _Fortunately they made it to a house. Candlehead burned a bit of the gingerbread door, leaving a little hole for them to crawl into. Taffyta threw the chunk of burnt biscuit away and the two climbed into the empty house._

" _What do we do now?" Candlehead inquired, fear shining in her eyes. Taffyta knew Candlehead usually relied on her for answers, but Taffyta for once mumbled, "I don't know. He'll find us soon enough."_

" _Then we can't just hide here!"_

 _Taffyta spotted two satchels made of licorice hanging off a nook on the wall. She turned to face Candlehead. "Grab a satchel. Find some food and if we're lucky, first aid supplies."_

 _Lucky she was. With a satchel full of supplies she broke off a piece of the biscuit table and started hacking at the ground._

" _What are you doing!" Candlehead asked._

" _Trying- to- dig- a- tunnel- so- we'd- be- safe- underground!" Taffyta breathed loudly._

" _Stop! Vanellope herself told us cy-bugs give birth in dark places! There might be cy-bug eggs somewhere down there- you know, last time they broke out of the ground and started eating, remember?"_

" _You're right," Taffyta bit her lip. Then she grinned. "Ah! I know just where to hide."_

" _Where?"_

 _Taffyta didn't answer. Instead she noticed a notebook lying on the table. She presumed it belonged to an artist for the candy wrapper was smooth to the touch and some pages had fascinating pictures lovingly drawn on it. Next to the notebook was a chocolate pen and Taffyta grabbed both. Flipping it to a new page she started to sketch the outline of a map- the map of Sugar Rush Mainland._

" _Hey, that's_ here _!" Candlehead was puzzled, as Taffyta continued drawing something that resembled the Rainbow Bridge, Diet Cola Mountain, the main racetracks, the village where the fans lived in- where they currently were._

 _Taffyta looked so serious Candlehead wasn't sure if she was drawing a map or a battle strategy plan._

" _We hike through the Ice Cream Mountains and- hey, you're not afraid of the cold, right?"_

 _Candlehead, being the witty person she was, couldn't help herself from letting out a tiny giggle. "Taffyta, we race through the mountains_ every single day _!"_

" _It's_ raced _if we don't pull through," Taffyta said sternly. "After the hike we'll reach the Ice Pop Caves and I hear the Strawberry Pop Cave is probably deepest and hence safer. You ready?"_

" _As always." Candlehead assured her. "Don't worry, we_ will _stay alive."_

 _The two set off, silently hoping what Candlehead said was true and that bug- Turbo wouldn't spot them. He didn't. He'd headed towards the Candy Cane Forest._

" _Do you think the others will, you know, live through this?" Candlehead nervously asked._

 _Taffyta tightened her grip onto Candlehead's hand, making the latter wince a little. "I hope they do. Mod help them. I wish I could do something but then we'll die as well."_ I sound so selfish. But please, let them survive. _She thought of Rancis, one of her best and most loyal friends. She hated to admit it but he was in some ways a more trustworthy friend than Candlehead. He'd tried to lie about their bullying when Vanellope was revealed to be the princess by saying that it all were jokes, while Candlehead blamed it on her (which was partly true. Taffyta_ did _start the bullying- only because she gave her mind blindly to the ex-tyrant)._

 _Her mind drifted over to the other girls. Snowanna was always optimistic and helpful. Jubileena was always fun to talk to. Minty was cool and Adorabeezle liked to teach everyone skiing. She heaved a miserable sigh. The others she'd miss a lot. If they didn't make it, Taffyta… She wasn't the snobby person Vanellope once thought she was. If one of them died, it would feel like a part of her died as well. After all those years of racing together, even the most competitive- Taffyta- considered the other racers as family, and Rancis and Candlehead her siblings. Vanellope had forgiven her for her mean actions before the cy-bug incident, and the two had grown quite close._

 _Where would Vanellope be now? With Ralph, she presumed and hoped. She would be safe. She would be out of reach from harm. Ralph would keep her out of danger, out of the evil hands of his former nemesis, he would guard her and be her friend. She'd be homeless but Taffyta believed Ralph, and that Felix person, would let her stay in their game. She would never experience the horrors Taffyta was going through right now. Which was good. At least a part of Sugar Rush had survived._

I can't be jealous. I can't be selfish. My friend is alive and well and knowing that I must not ever dream of envying her. She's alright and that's all that matters.

* * *

" _I can't say I'm exactly alright, Vanellope. Candlehead is by my side but both of us are starving. Ironic, no? A land of sweets and we're_ hungry." Taffyta chuckled without humor to herself. " _Please don't come back. The state of your former game is devastatingly horrendous. As much as I wish I could see you again I don't want you to know what happened to us. What happened to Sugar Rush._

" _Are you well? 23 days I've survived and I didn't even ask you this. What would you feel if you find out that all of us are close to death? I fear there aren't many of us alive. Soon Turbo will discover us and I hope, one day, when this is over, when you come back, you'll read this. You'll find out what happened. You'll mourn but know that you're fortunate to have been gone during this time._

" _Last question I've been yearning to ask. I don't want this to_ ever _occur but: Why can't you come back?_

" _I know you're out there, underneath blue skies and sunshine. We still have light but I don't think I have sunshine inside my heart anymore. But you do._

" _Stay strong for me. For us. All of us. Alive or not, you're the only survivor Sugar Rush has left. But most importantly…_

" _Stay sweet, Vanellope. Taffyta."_

 **A/N: Oops. I swear, I made this** _ **way**_ **too OOC. I am so sorry. Someone needs to send me ro author jail** _ **right now.**_ **So leave a flame, or a simple review, to tell me how bad/ horrible/ good (?) I am at this. Thank you again, I love you guys.**

 **(Also, if you get the reference to the title, you're awesome. I don't mind a review suggesting/ guessing which film it is from. If you don't know where it is from, I'll reveal it in Chapter 2. Thank you!)**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: As some of you might also wonder, why couldn't Vanellope enter Sugar Rush in Chapter 1 was one of the most asked questions I found in my inbox. I originally planned to post this in the later chapters, but since Camille (whose stories I beta-read but now suddenly seems to be my beta instead of vice versa) demanded an explanation I have to write this. Hmmph.**

 **And here's Chapter 2 of Blue Skies and Sunshine, enjoy! (Oh and don't expect too much of this, it's not** _ **that**_ **good, I'm so exhausted I walk like a zombie these days haha) And don't forget to leave a review on where to improve. Thank you so much!**

As she skipped out of Sugar Rush she heaved a tired but happy sigh. After a decade of being bullied she was finally a racer again, she'd finally reclaimed her rightful throne, she finally had friends and fellow competitors. Everything that was taken from her was… back. Her life was right again.

And she'd also made new friends in the process.

At the top of her favorites was, of course, Ralph. They started off with a rocky enmity, sort of, her borrowing (or stealing as Ralph put it) his medal and him getting his underpants in a knot about that. And he'd witnessed her fellow racers bully her and destroy her kart, and he'd jumped in to help her. Then they made her kart, he taught her to drive… At last, he'd help her restore her life as an avatar and became her friend- her hero.

Next was the Sergeant. Even though Vanellope didn't know her last name until a few days later (and her full name was still unknown, though Vanellope would prefer calling her 'Sarge' than 'Sergeant Calhoun'. She also helped save Sugar Rush after all. Plus Sarge was easier pronounced.) she still held respect and admiration to the soldier for her bravery. Anyone would be freaked by those massive metallic bugs. Not the sergeant though, she'd went _pew pew_ at the bugs until she ran out of… ammo or something.

And Felix. He didn't destroy the cy-bugs unlike Ralph or Calhoun but one, he shielded Vanellope when the three of them were cornered by nasty bugs, and most importantly he'd fixed her kart after Ralph smashed it to pieces. And he was a great help at repairing the damage after the invasion (actually his hammer was. But Vanellope wasn't going to be all annoying about it).

Soon she'd also befriended the other racers- even Taffyta Muttonfudge, that vain, mean diva Vanellope once thought she was ( _is_ ). But if it weren't for Turbo messing up her code Taffyta pinky swore up and down that she would never (ahem) be mean (ahem) to another person regardless of background, career, family, etc etc etc. But it didn't really matter; they were close racing buddies now.

Energetic Snowanna. Cool Minty. Hilarious Candlehead. Every single one of them, once enemies, now friends. And it wasn't just about her royal (not) status, it was about _her_.

For the first time in her life she was accepted by her fellow peers. For the first time in her 'glitch' life she had friends. And she felt loved.

She skipped into Fix-It Felix Jr, blowing the Surge Protector a raspberry as she went, and she wondered why he was walking towards her game.

But whatever. Stinkbrain was expecting her.

* * *

She was glad she still had her glitch even after Sugar Rush Speedway was reset. It was always fun to sneak behind Ralph while he was snoring…

Pounce…

"STINKBRAIN!" she whooped as Ralph screamed and flung his as around wildly (conveniently smashing his alarm clock). When he got out of his daze and saw Vanellope grinning slyly at him, he rolled his eyes. "Mod, kid, you freaked me out!"

Vanellope stuck her tongue out. "Teaches you two stop dozing off right after the arcade's closed!"

"Totally. Oh. Hold it. Whoops." Ralph mumbled, picking up the splinters of his alarm clock.

"Come on, can we go game jumping today? I wanna go to that thing where you have to use those blue magic glowsticks to fight those ugly red glowstick guys!"

Ralph groaned. "By any chance do you mean _Star Wars?"_

"Yeah! That's the one!"

"No way! Those laser thingies are gonna zap you into bits in no time!"

"Please, Stinkbrain? Hey, I'm being polite!"

"No."

" _Please please please please_ , Stinkbrain! I just said please 5 times already!" Vanellope whined.

"I said no twice- look, it's real scary in Star Wars. Those blasters kill, the lightsabers kill, I hear that Darth Vader guy's a total creep with a real funny breathing sound, and, um, the Millennium Falcon can squash you in no time-"

"There's an _overweight_ turkey? Awesome!" Vanellope yelled. "Can we have it for Thanksgiving?"

The image of Vanellope trying to roast a gigantic spaceship was enough to make Ralph plop Vanellope onto his shoulder and head off to Star Wars. "First up, falcons are _not_ turkeys."

"They're the same! They're big and fat and, hey, they smell as bad as your breathe! I _told_ you you should start using toothpaste!"

* * *

Ralph had to shove game characters out of the way to reach the other side of the station, which was where Star Wars was located.

"This crowd is _huge_ ," Ralph said.

"Well waddle through it, stop complaining! I wanna get there quick!" Vanellope tugged his hair softly.

"Yes, yes, princess fartfeathers, your wish is my command." Ralph grumbled sarcastically, accidentally knocking a video game character off balance.

"Oof!" a dancer from DDR exclaimed.

"Ey-yi-yi, sorry buddy," Ralph mumbled, helping the guy up.

The young dancer's eyes widened at the sight of Vanellope perched on Ralph's shoulder- "Hey, aren't you that Sugar Rush princess-"

A few people apparently overheard their conversation. More gasps emitted when they laid eyes at the small girl in the teal-colored hoodie.

"It's _president_ of Sugar Rush, ga-doi! And stop gaping at me; I'm not- hey. Is that- Why's the Surge guy with Sergeant Sunny Personality? In front of my game?"

"What?" Ralph stood on his tiptoes. And surely, the Surge Protector was with Sergeant Calhoun, who was decked in full armor and brandishing a scary-looking rifle.

"You don't know?" someone told them. "Something's wrong with the game- a bug they say- and 'course Surge Protector went to the expert on bugs- I mean the Sergeant."

"There's a _bug_ in my what?" Vanellope said.

"A bug, a real life bug, not the virus sort."

Vanellope's gaze met Ralph's. Both were thinking the same thing: _He's back_.

Vanellope hopped off Ralph's shoulder and glitched near Calhoun, who was ready to enter the game. "Wait! Sarge!"

Calhoun turned. "President? What are you- _you're alive?_ "

"What's going on? What's happening to my game?" Vanellope asked frantically, not bothering to answer any of Calhoun's questions.

Up close, Vanellope can see inside her game. The rainbow bridge was free of its cheerful brightness and was reduced to a dull rotten grey. The skies were dim. It looked so painfully of the time whem the cy-bug incident happened.

Calhoun saw Vanellope inch closer to the entrance and grabbed her shoulders. "No, you're not, it's hell gone loose in there."

"But that's _my_ game!" Vanellope was close to tears. " _I_ need to be there!"

"Never in a million years, cadet, it's _dangerous_! You get killed and that's game over for you!"

"No it's not, I can regenerate-"

Calhoun snapped a candy out of Vanellope's hair and threw it into the game and zapped it to splinters with her gun.

The gummy bear didn't regenerate. Calhoun raised an eyebrow.

Vanellope, now red-faced with tears in her big hazel eyes, kicked at Calhoun (though she regretted it, her toes immediately screamed, who knew the metal hurt?) "IT'S A PIECE OF CANDY, I'M A RACER, CAN'T YOU SEE THE DIFFERENCE! Maybe it can't come back because it doesn't have a code-"

Calhoun gave her a cold look. "And you thought Turbo wouldn't have considered that when he invaded?"


End file.
